Trogloneta

Simon, 1922

spurred orb-weavers

Species Guides

Trogloneta paradoxa

Trogloneta is a of minute spurred orb-weavers in the Mysmenidae, described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1922. The genus currently comprises twelve described distributed across Europe, East Asia, and the Americas. These spiders are among the smallest known spiders, with some species measuring less than 2 mm in body length. Several species exhibit cave-adapted characteristics and restricted distributions, with some Chinese species showing extreme genetic divergence due to geographic isolation in karst cave systems.

Trogloneta paradoxa by (c) Toby, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Toby. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Trogloneta: /trɔɡloˈnɛta/

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Identification

in this are distinguished from other Mysmenidae by the presence of spurs on the tibiae of the male . The genus is characterized by extremely small body size (typically under 2 mm), a globular that is disproportionately large relative to the , and eight . Trogloneta species possess the reduced body plan typical of mysmenid spiders, with compact bodies and relatively short legs. Cave-dwelling species such as T. yunnanensis show reduced pigmentation and lighter coloration compared to surface-dwelling relatives.

Images

Habitat

occupy diverse microhabitats including moist leaf litter, moss, rocky crevices, and subterranean caves. Cave-dwelling species inhabit humid karst caves with stable temperatures near mean regional temperature, high CO2 concentrations, and absence of sunlight. Surface-dwelling species prefer very humid environments including under rocks in streambeds and within decaying vegetation.

Distribution

The has a disjunct distribution spanning Europe (type locality), East Asia (China, Japan), and the Americas (Brazil, United States). In China, are to specific localities in Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, and Guizhou provinces. European records include the Canary Islands and Madeira. The Brazilian species are restricted to the Atlantic Forest region.

Behavior

Trogloneta granulum constructs small, three-dimensional webs with highly irregular meshwork of non-sticky silk. The builds a characteristic cocoon suspended within the web by multiple threads. Cocoon handling involves grasping the cocoon with the and carrying it while . The spiders produce draglines and attachment discs typical of araneomorph spiders.

Similar Taxa

MysmenaBoth belong to Mysmenidae and share extremely small body size (<2 mm), globular , and eight . Trogloneta is distinguished by the presence of tibial spurs on male , which are absent in Mysmena.
MicrodipoenaAnother mysmenid with minute body size; Trogloneta differs in and web architecture.